🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Great Heat is the hottest solar term of the year. Its climatic characteristics are described as: "When the Big Dipper points to Bing, it is Great Heat; at this time, the weather is even more intense than in Minor Heat, hence the name Great Heat." Great Heat falls around the middle of the Dog Days, and in many regions of China, temperatures frequently reach 40°C. During this extremely hot season, heat prevention and cooling measures cannot be overlooked.
Great Heat is also the period of fastest growth for warm-loving crops and the season with the most crickets in rural fields. In some areas of China, people have a custom of playing cricket games during leisure time after tea or meals. Great Heat is also the season with the most thunderstorms, and there is a folk saying: "If lightning flashes eastward, no rain will fall here; if it flashes westward, rain will come swiftly, leaving no time to escape." People often refer to afternoon thunderstorms in summer as "Northwest Rain," and describe them vividly as "Northwest Rain, after which no roads remain passable," "Summer rain separates fields by ridges," and "Summer rain separates ox backs," illustrating how thunderstorms often bring rain on one side while the other remains sunny—just as the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi wrote: "East side clear sky, west side rain, they say no clear sky but there is still clarity."
Summer's climate is hot and humid, with excessive heat and dampness easily invading the body, leading to heart qi depletion, especially among the elderly, children, and those with weak constitutions who struggle to maintain health, resulting in conditions like summer fatigue and heatstroke. If you experience obvious fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, chest tightness, poor concentration, heavy sweating, limb numbness, thirst, nausea, etc., these are usually early signs of heatstroke. Once such symptoms appear, immediately move the patient to a well-ventilated area and give them light salt water, mung bean soup, watermelon juice, or sour plum soup. Methods to prevent heatstroke in summer include: reasonable work scheduling with proper rest, avoiding direct sun exposure, maintaining indoor cooling, ensuring adequate sleep, and paying attention to dietary hygiene. Those with the means should regularly consume aromatic herbs that transform turbidity and clear damp-heat, such as fresh Agastache leaves, Eupatorium leaves, each 10 grams, Fei Slagstone (slippery stone), stir-fried barley sprouts, each 30 grams, and 3 grams of licorice root, boiled and used as tea. Alternatively, one may take Ren Dan (Bitter Pill) or Ten Drops Water during hot periods.
Great Heat is the hottest time of the year with the strongest yang energy. In health preservation, the concept of "treating winter diseases in summer" is commonly applied. Therefore, for chronic conditions that typically flare up in winter—such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, and other yang deficiency syndromes—it is the optimal treatment window. Those suffering from such chronic illnesses should pay special attention to careful nourishment and prevention during summer health preservation.
For example, chronic bronchitis can be treated both internally and externally. Internally, take Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan (Golden Cabinet Kidney Qi Pills) or Zuo Gui Wan (Left Return Pills) twice daily, one pill each time, continuously for one month. Externally, use a mixture of 20 grams white mustard seeds, 15 grams Corydalis, 12 grams fine cinnamon, and 10 grams Euphorbia, ground into fine powder. Mix with ginger juice to form a paste, divide into six portions, and apply one portion onto oil paper or plastic film about 5 cm in diameter. Place it on the lung, heart, or diaphragm acupoints on the back, or on bilateral lung, Bai Lao, and Gao Huang acupoints. Secure with adhesive tape. Typically leave on for 4–6 hours; if burning sensation occurs, remove earlier. Mild itching or warmth is acceptable and may allow longer application. Note: Apply once per dog day (three dog days in summer), three times annually, for three consecutive years to enhance non-specific immunity and reduce allergic states. This combined internal and external therapy effectively alleviates or eliminates symptoms.
During summer, using food’s nutritional value for health preservation and longevity is an effective way to reduce illness and slow aging. Summer dietary adjustment is based on the climatic features of summer. Since summer is hot and easily depletes body fluids and qi, medicinal porridge is often recommended for tonification. The *Huangdi Neijing* states: "Medicine removes illness, food supports recovery," and "Grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables nourish life fully." Famous physician Li Shizhen particularly advocated medicinal porridge for health preservation, saying: "Eat a large bowl of porridge every morning; when the stomach is empty, grain essence activates, providing substantial nourishment. It is extremely soft and delicate, harmonizing well with the gastrointestinal tract—this is the ultimate wisdom in diet." Medicinal porridge is suitable for the elderly, children, and those with weak spleen and stomach function. Thus, ancient people said: "The finest nourishing food in the world is porridge," and "Eating two heaping spoonfuls of rice daily is equivalent to taking a large bag of ginseng and astragalus." *Medical Six Books* praises: "Glutinous rice porridge is a vital elixir for nurturing life; millet porridge is a wonderful remedy for warming the stomach." Clearly, porridge nourishment is crucial for human health. Although medicinal porridge benefits the body, it is not universally applicable; one must select appropriate herbs based on individual constitution and condition to achieve satisfactory results.
Summer health preservation also emphasizes water as a vital, indispensable substance for fitness and longevity. As the saying goes: "Humans are made of water"—a truth not without basis. Water accounts for about 70% of body weight. Traditional health practices highly recommend drinking cooled boiled water. Experimental results show that ordinary water, after boiling and cooling to room temperature with the lid closed, reduces chlorine content by half compared to natural water. Its physical and chemical properties—surface tension, density, viscosity, conductivity—change significantly, closely resembling the water within biological cells, making it easier to penetrate cells and exhibiting remarkable biological activity. According to folk wisdom and experimental findings, drinking a glass of fresh cool boiled water every morning can yield miraculous longevity benefits over several years. Japanese medical researchers surveyed 460 elderly individuals aged over 65, finding that 82% of those who drank a glass of cool water each morning for five years had rosy complexions, vibrant spirits, firm teeth, and could walk 10 km daily, never suffering serious illnesses. Thus, the importance of water to the human body is absolutely undeniable.
Besides water, alcohol, soups, fruit juices, and other beverages can also be considered drinks. Proper selection can greatly benefit physical strength and health.
In late summer, yang energy descends while humidity rises, creating a moist environment. Hence, during this season, people are more prone to contracting damp pathogens. In traditional Chinese medicine, dampness is considered a yin pathogen, characterized by downward tendency, heaviness, stickiness, obstruction of qi movement, and damage to yang energy. Dietary therapy and pharmacological diets should focus on clearing heat and dispelling summer heat.
Below are several dishes suitable for the Great Heat solar term.
Cool Mixed Eggplant:
[Ingredients] 500g tender eggplant, 15g fragrant coriander, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate (MSG), refined salt, Sichuan pepper, all in appropriate amounts.
[Preparation] Wash and peel the eggplant, cut into small pieces, sprinkle with a little salt, then soak in cold water to remove the brownish color. Remove and steam until cooked, then cool. Crush garlic into paste. Heat a wok, add sesame oil, fry Sichuan pepper until fragrant, pour the oil and spice into a small bowl. Add soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, refined salt, MSG, and garlic paste, mix into a sauce. Pour over the eggplant slices. Wash and chop the coriander, scatter on top. Done.
[Benefits] Clears heat, opens orifices, reduces swelling, promotes urination, strengthens spleen and stomach.
Note: Green beans contain lectin A, a toxic protein. Cooking thoroughly greatly reduces toxicity. Thus, green beans must be blanched thoroughly to prevent poisoning.
Stir-Fried Assorted Vegetables:
[Ingredients] 1 block tofu, 50g tender green beans, 50g tomatoes, 15g black fungus, sesame oil, vegetable oil, refined salt, MSG, chopped scallions, all in appropriate amounts.
[Preparation] Cut tofu, green beans, tomatoes, and black fungus into small cubes. Boil water in a pot, blanch each ingredient separately (blanch tomatoes briefly). Drain and dry. Prepare a pan, heat vegetable oil, add Sichuan pepper to release aroma, then add scallions, salt, tomatoes, and MSG, stir evenly. Pour over the blanched tofu, green beans, and black fungus, drizzle with sesame oil, mix well.
[Benefits] Quenches thirst, strengthens spleen, clears summer heat, detoxifies, resolves dampness.
Green Bean and Pumpkin Soup:
[Ingredients] 50g green beans, 500g old pumpkin, a little salt.
[Preparation] Rinse green beans clean, sprinkle with a little salt (about 3g) while still slightly damp, mix well, marinate for several minutes, then rinse again. Wash pumpkin, remove skin and pulp, cut into 2 cm cubes. Add 500 ml water to a pot, boil, first add green beans, boil for 2 minutes, add a little cold water, reboil, then add pumpkin, cover, simmer gently for about 30 minutes until beans burst open. Add a little salt for seasoning.
[Benefits] Green beans are sweet and cool, clearing summer heat, detoxifying, promoting urination; paired with pumpkin, they quench thirst and boost qi. Ideal summer diet for preventing heatstroke.
Bitter Melon and Chrysanthemum Porridge:
[Ingredients] 100g bitter melon, 50g chrysanthemum, 60g glutinous rice, 100g rock sugar.
[Preparation] Wash bitter melon, remove seeds, cut into small pieces. Wash rice and chrysanthemum, place both in a pot with sufficient water, bring to boil over high heat. When boiling, add bitter melon and rock sugar, reduce heat to low, continue cooking until rice blossoms.
[Benefits] Clears summer heat, stops diarrhea, detoxifies. Suitable for heatstroke-induced thirst and dysentery.
Note: Avoid all warm, dry, spicy, greasy foods while consuming this porridge.